Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
HERNDON, VA –Volkswagen has ditched the flower vase on the dashboard of the Beetle.
That may not sound like a big deal. It’s not as if the German auto maker eliminated the steering wheel of the redesigned ’12 car that goes on sale in October.
But tossing the vase is part of VW’s overall efforts to draw more male buyers to the Beetle. More important than taking something away, VW says its designers and engineers put much energy into making the little car look and feel “more masculine.”
In many respects, their efforts have paid off. The third-generation car not only looks different than its predecessor, it drives differently, with more horsepower and bolder dynamics.
Since its 1998 introduction, the outgoing second-generation “New Beetle” had garnered a reputation and sales record as a “girl” car. Back then, VW called the bud vase on the dash “a cheerful accent.” It was a cute touch. But the unintended consequence was that many male buyers wouldn’t touch the car.
Dale Smith, general manager of Village VW in Chattanooga, TN, says a male customer told him, “I am not driving a car with a flower vase.”
Post-vase, the ’12 Beetle is wider, longer, lower to the ground and beefier. The hood is larger and windshield steeper, with the A-pillar pushed back. Stylists flattened the roof lines a bit to less resemble a bubble.
Designers faced a right-brain, left-brain dilemma in restyling an iconic car. They wanted to make it look like a Beetle, but not look like a Beetle. They sought to preserve the design cues that make the car so recognizable, yet not become prisoners of the past.
